Truck for toy railroad cars



' Sept 29, 1942 c. v. GlAlMo 2,297,143

TRUCK FOR TOY RAILROAD CARS Filed Sept. 14, 1940 lil?) INVENTOR ATTORNEYPatented Sept. 29, 1942 TRUCK FOR TOY RAILROAD CARS Charles V. Giaimo,Irvington, N. J., assignor to rThe Lionel Corporation,.New York, N. Y.,a corporation of New York Application September 14, 1940, Serial No.356,804

Claims. .(Cl. 213-212) The present invention relates to trucks for toyrailroad cars, and is more particularly directed toward trucks havingcar coupling devices and electromagnetic means for aiecting anuncoupling of the cars.

The present invention contemplates the provision of trucks for this andsimilar purposes wherein the magnet coil, current collector andassociated parts are in the form of a preassembled unit adapted to besecured directly to the axles of the truck. When the electrical unit issecured directly to the axles of the truck as contemplated by thepresent invention, the current collecting device or devices carried byit have a very definite location with respect to the axles and thereforewith respect to the tracks-on which the wheels travel. When the toyvehicle is in use there is a possibility of the carbody tilting andtwisting with respect to the track level. This shifts the body of thetruck relative to the axles.

By having the collector shoe carried directly by the axles the swayingor other movement of the car body has no effecten the current collectoror its elevation with respect to the track.

The present invention also contemplates devices for the purpose referredto wherein the electrical connections between the current collector andthe coil are readily made by means of the spring which is used to secureadequate contact pressure against the rail.

Other and further objects will appear as vthe description proceeds. r

The accompanying drawing shows, for purposes of illustrating the presentinvention, one of the many embodiments in which the invention may takeform, together with modifications of certain parts, it being understoodthat the drawing is illustrative of the invention rather than limitingthe same.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line I-I ofFigure 4, showing a combined truck and coupler unit; l

Figure 2 is a sectional View on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, the wheelsbeing omitted;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view taken from the right of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figures 5 and 6 are sectional views taken on the lines 5-5 and I--6,respectively, of Figure 2 looking -in the direction of the respectivearrows;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the contact spring before it is securedin place;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevational view through a modified form ofconstruction; and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2 showing twocollectors.

The car truck contemplated by the present inrto bear on the center railII. yieldingly secured to apiece of molded insulating material 46 by apin 4'I and spring .48. The invention is more particularly intended foruse with toy track sections ihaving wheel bearing rails I0, I0, acentral third rail I I and two intermediate rails I2, I2 placed at ahigher elevation than the other' rails and adapted to supply current toa car-carried current-consuming device in a circuit in shunt with thepropulsion circuit through the wheel bearing rails.

The truck has axles I3 and I4 of conventional form, and these carry theusual wheels I5. The ends of the axles are received in elongated holesI6 carried in the downwardly bent portions I'I, II of a sheet metalframe I8. This truck frame is of vthe usual form, and carries a pivotpin I9 by which the truck is connected to-a car body and a drawbar orcoupler bar 20 having at its end a coupler hook :2I and a movablecoupler head 22. The coupler head is normally in the full line positionshown in .Figure 1y and is lifted to the dotand-dash line positioneither by the hook of another similar coupler during coupling, or by ahorizontally movable rod 23 engaging a depending extension 24 on thecoupler head.

A sheet metal .stamping 25 has four upwardly extending prongs V2,6bent'over on to the axles I3 and I4, so as to secure the stamping 25 inplace. This stamping also carries two spaced coil supports 21 and `28apertured to receive a spool 29 carrying a coil 30 and an insulatingplate 3|. The spool 29 accommodates an armature 32 connected to the pinor rod v23. The rod 23 has a denite position relative to the axles andthe extension 24 fromthe coupler head is large enough to be reached byit normatter what the relative positions of the axles and truck frame.

The outer end of the plate V3| is apertured, as indicated at 33, andthis receives two prongs 34, 34 of a spring 35, shown more in detail inFigure 7. This spring has a soldering lug 35 to receive the lead Wire 3lfor the coil 3G. The lower end 38 of the spring 3l extends acrossunderneath the coiland bearsr on the upper end of a pin 39.

This pin is used to rivet together a piece of sheet insulating material4|] and a molded piece ofinsulating material 4I. The molded piece passesthrough a hole 42 in the stamping 25. The lower .end of thepin 39 isadapted to ride on one of the -rails I2 and good contact is insured bythe pressure of the spring.

Where the toy car is to have any accessory, such as a lamp intended tobelighted whenever the track is energized, the truck, as shown in Figure1, is provided with a contactlroller 45 adapted `This roller is sulatingpiece 46 is secured to the upwardly bent end 49 of the stamping 25 bymeans of lugs 50 bent over as indicated. The end 49 of the stamping 25has an opening 5I which receives Figure l, except that the hole 5l inthe upwardly Y extending end 49 of the stamping 25 is closed by anon-magnetic sheet metal insert 53, as indicated in Figure 8.

Figure 9 illustrates an arrangement wherein an insulating plate 3|carries a second spring 35 cooperable with a second collector, the partsbeing the same as above described except thatv the stamping 25 has twoholes 42. With this arrangement the coil can be energized by bringingthe two supplemental rails to a diierent potential and separate circuitconnections may be made to other accessories in the car.

It is obvious that the invention may be embodied in many forms andconstructions within the scope of the claims and I wish it to beunderstood that the particular forms shown are but a few of the manyforms. Various modifications and changes being possible, I do nototherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a toy car truck having a body adapted to beconnected to a car body, the body having downwardly bent aperturedsides, wheeled axles of smaller diameter than `the vertical width of theapertures in the sides whereby vertical play between the body and thewheels and axles is possible, a frame carrying a horizontal magnet coilwhose length is less than the spacing of the axles whereby the coil maybe y' passed upwardly between the axles, means for xedly securing theframe to the axles, a downwardly spring pressed current collector havinglimited vertical movement with respect to the frame whereby the contactwill not partake of the vertical movements of the truck frame withrespect to the axles, and a horizontally reciprocable armature carriedby the coil and extending over one of the axles.

2. The combination with the two axle truck for a toy car and a truckcarried coupler having a longitudinally extending coupler bar providedwith a coupler head biased toward coupling position, of a coupler headshifting device comprising a longitudinally movable plunger below thecoupler bar, a longitudinally extending magnet coil for operating theplunger, a support for the magnet coil including a frame having aportion insertible upwardly between the axles of the truck and a bottomportion engaging the axles f and secured directly to the axles, and acurrent collector shoe carried by the frame and directly connected tothe coil.

3. 'I'he combination of claim 2 wherein the frame has an upwardlyextending end outside the axles and opposite the coil and having acontact roller insulatedly secured to said end of the frame, the shoeand roller being offset to cooperate with different rails.

4. In combination, a horizontal frame member, two upwardly extendingspaced coil supports, a coil secured between the coil supports, aninsulating plate extending laterally from one end of the coil, anopening in the frame member disposed on the side of the coil axisopposite the laterally extending plate, an insulating member extendingthrough the opening and having limited vertical movement therein, aconducting pin carried by the insulating member, and a spring memberanchored to the insulating plate and bearing on the pin to urge theinsulating member down.

5. A current collecting device comprising a wheeled truck, a horizontaltruck carried frame member having an aperture, an insulating platesecured to the frame member and having an end spaced laterally of theaperture, a conducting spring member having prongs bent over onto theplate to secure it to the plate and having an end above the aperture,and a vertically movable conducting element, insulated from the framemember, extending through the aperture therein, and having its upper endengaged by the spring and its lower end exposed for contact with a rail.

6. A combined truck and coupler unit for electric railroad cars,comprising a truck frame, a longitudinally extending coupler bar xedlysecured to the frame and having a coupler head biased toward couplingposition and having an operating element of substantially verticaldimension, two axles carried by the truck frame for limited verticalmovement, a metal plate secured underneath and to the axles, alongitudinally extending, centrally disposed magnet coil secured to theplate, and a plunger in the coil normally out of contact with theoperating element of the c oupler head but movable when the coil isenergized to engage said member and shift the coupler head, irrespectiveof the relative movement of the axles with respect to the truck frame.

7. A combined truck and coupler unit such as claimed in claim 5 havingan insulated contact shoe carried by and below the plate and laterallyoiset with respect to the coil axis.

8. A unit such as claimed in claim 5, having an insulated contact shoecarried by and below the plate and laterally oiset with respect to thecoil axis, and wherein the frame has an upwardly bent end opposite thecoupler head, and having an insulated spring pressed contact rollerdisposed centrally of the wheels.

9. A subassembly for toy car trucks, comprising a metal plate havingupwardly extending prongs adapted to be bent over onto truck axles, twoparallel upwardly extending coil supports spaced closer than the prongs,an insulating plate carried by one coil supporta magnet coil supportedby the coil supports, a spring carried by the insulating plate andconnected to the coil, a contact member engaged by the end of thespring, the contact member being vertically movable in and .insulatedfrom an aperture in the metal plate, and a plunger in the coil.

10. The combination with the two-axle truck of a toy car, and truckcarried coupler having a coupler head biased toward coupling position,of a coupler head shifting device comprising a horizontal,longitudinally movable plunger, a magnet coil for operating the plunger,a support for the magnet coil comprising a vframe movable upwardlybetween the axles 'of the truck and secured directly to the axles, and acollector shoe carried by the frame, whereby the position of thecollector shoe relative to the treads of the wheels is predetermined.

CHARLES V. GIAIMO.

